Chart-topping US rapper Travis Scott is being sought for questioning by New York City police following reports of an assault and criminal damage in a city nightclub.
A sound engineer at Club Nebula alleges that Scott punched him in the face following a verbal altercation early on Wednesday morning. It is alleged that Scott also caused $12,000 (£10,000) worth of damage to a speaker and video screen. Police officers attended the scene.
Scott had been performing a DJ set at the club, for an afterparty to a concert by labelmate Don Toliver.
There was no denial of the incident in statements released by Scott’s spokesman, but the nightclub’s managing partner Richie Romero said it had been “blown completely out of proportion”. Scott’s lawyer Mitchell Schuster characterised initial reports of the incident as “clickbait and misinformation. We are actively working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve and set the record straight … We are confident our client will be cleared of any wrongdoing.” Dorian Harrington, who helped to arrange the Toliver after party and was on stage with Scott during his DJ set, claimed: “What I saw on stage doesn’t reflect what I read in the news. The music and the night turned out great and everyone left peacefully.”
Scott has kept a relatively low profile since November 2021 when 10 people were killed by a crush during his set at the Astroworld festival in Houston which he founded. He played his first full concert following the disaster at London’s O2 Arena in August 2022, followed by festival dates in South America in November. This Saturday marks his return to major live performance in the US, at the Rolling Loud festival in Los Angeles. His much-delayed album Utopia is expected later in 2023.
